Day 19
Read Matthew 6:1-15. This passage of Scripture links prayer in a believer’s life with at least three critical heart elements. These heart elements, when laid bare by the work of the Holy Spirit, reveal whether or not a believer is rightly aligned with God’s heart:
Theatrics = “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them” (6:1,5)
Verbosity = “When you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition” (6:7)
Forgiveness = “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (6:12, 14-15)
AUTHENTICITY
There is no place in Christ’s church for hypocrisy. Jesus warned His followers not to make their faith activities a performance to impress others (Matthew 6:1,5,16). Neither should believers judge others because there is yet plenty in their own lives to be judged (Matthew 7:1-5). Instead, Jesus both lived and taught authenticity in our relationship with Him and with one another. “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, but in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Matthew 15:8-9).
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man…” (Matthew 15:19-20a).
When we fail to be authentic with Jesus, we will undoubtedly be playing a masquerade with our fellow believers. Let’s repent of our lack of authenticity and come clean with Jesus about our hypocrisy today.
PRAY…
Father God, I want to come clean about my hypocrisy. It is creating chaos in my walk with You and in my relationships with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Please forgive me for not living an authentic Christian life, and by Your grace empower me to live soberly and uprightly in my walk with You and in my relationships with fellow believers. I desire to walk in the Light as You Yourself are the Light, so that I can have biblical fellowship with other believers and so I can walk in authenticity with You. Be honored today in all my relationships, as I cast off hypocrisy and embrace the life of Christ. I ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Sourced From State Convention of Baptists in Ohio | scbo.org